Without A Trace
by ShadowPhoenix2398
Summary: Sixth Year for Severus Snape is nothing as it seems and secrets are deadly. Who is Darien Storm and what is he hiding?


**Without A Trace**

ShadowPhoenix2398

**Summary:** Sixth Year for Severus Snape is nothing as it seems and secrets are deadly. Who is Darien Storm and what is he hiding?

**Disclaimer:** Warner Brothers and J.K. Rowling own Harry Potter and Co.. I'm just screwing with their lives a bit, so don't sue me for my hard work! The only person I do own is my character, Darien Storm. Not an imaginative last name, but it works all the same. Do not try to steal him without my permission. Believe me, you won't like the consequences.

**Warning:** Do I really need to include this? Okay, a couple of people in all of my stories either die orget tortured. This story is ratedT until it gets more violent. If you can't handle torture scenes, death scenes, etc., you better click that back button and get away from this story as fast as possible. ThiswillbeSlash or Yaoi, as in Male/Male, but not until later. Don't like, don't read. There will also be a lot of Marauder-Bashing, so just remember...

You have been warned.

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**Prologue**

Severus Snape stepped on the Hogwarts Express with a sigh. It was his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but he wasn't as excited as the others. Every year, the famous Marauders always managed to ruin it by humiliating him in front of the school. They were just pranks, but that didn't mean they weren't damaging. It was bad enough that he didn't have any friends, something which the Marauders teased him mercilessly about. He was the 'outcast' of Slytherin. Not that he minded. Severus sort of prefered it, but there were times when he wished he could tell someone about his fears. There were times when he wished that he could have someone, besides his mother, to confide in.

His mother. The only person that was ever there for him and the only person Severus could honestly say he cared about. His father, on the other hand, was a bastard. There was no doubt about it. He was the perfect example of a Pureblood and served as a willing Death Eater for Lord Voldemort. He only wanted his son to carry on the family name and serve Voldemort. Nothing else. At least mother encouraged him to be creative and to follow his dreams. This was also one of the reasons he was so good at Potions. It was his not-so-secret passion. Potions was one of the hardest subjects in Hogwarts, though, as it required patience and discipline, both something that most Hogwarts students lacked.

Severus was constantly pranked by the Marauders. It was a simple fact that everyone knew, but no one bothered to do anything about it. Who would want to help a Slytherin, anyway? Gryffindor, and the other houses to a lesser extent, hated Slytherin because they were, 'evil bastards who were all Death-Eaters-In-Training'. But they didn't know, did they? Slytherins were ambitious. They worked for what they wanted. Slytherins were cunning. They had morals, sure, but they had no qualms over lying to get themselves out of certain 'situations'. The Slytherins were different from the other houses. And there was one thing that no one knew or would understand.

Slytherin House was loyal. Severus was willing to bet that they were even more loyal than the Gryffindors, but Slytherins didn't jump into a potentially dangerous situation blindfolded as the Gryffindors were apparently ecstatic to do. Of course, being compared to a Gryffindor was a _huge _insult to a Slytherin. Slytherins weren't trusting in nature, but they had their own reasons for that. In the Slytherin House, no one openly supported the Light. Not only was Dumbledore a manipulative bastard, but no one would believe them anyway.

So, the Slytherins' families were either Neutral or Dark. While some supported their parents views and wanted to become the perfect Death Eater, most did not. They didn't suddenly declare this to their parents though. The few that did this were taken out of Hogwarts and were never seen again. Most of the House knew that to support the Dark Lord would only lead to torture and servitude. Slytherins were proud and they did_ not_ bow down to _anyone_. That and no one wanted to get on the bad side of Dumbledore. While the Headmaster was somewhat... eccentric, as was proven by his obsession with Lemon Drops and his clashing robes, there was no doubt that he was powerful. Suffice to say, the Neutral families had it easy... even if they were approached by both sides.

Severus searched for an empty compartment. Much to his growing apprehension he found that most, if not all, of them were full. If he didn't find one soon, he would have to sit in a potentially noisy compartment with a bunch of snot-nosed brats who were probably obsessing over how they would be sorted. Of course, if they had just read Hogwarts: A History they would have found out. Also, Severus _knew _that he wasn't _that _short in his First Year.

He was jerked out of his musings when he found himself in front of one of the last compartments on the train. There was only one person in it as far as he could tell, but the thick, frosted glass made it hard to see clearly. Gathering his courage, which wasn't much, he opened the door and walked in slightly, his trunk floating behind him. He was right. There was only one person in the compartment, but Severus didn't recognize him. The stranger was about 5' 11'' tall, from what Severus could estimate, and he stared at Severus in surprise. His eyes were an icy dark blue, almost black and were guarded. His face looked distinctly aristocratic with a small, straight nose and sharp, defined cheekbones. What really caught Severus' attention though was the person's midnight black hair that flowed down to his lower back. It was tied back by a black hair tie by the nape of his neck.

He was wearing an open, standard Hogwarts robe over black slacks and a black, silk formal shirt. His House Badge was blank, strangely enough. The unknown figure looked to be about sixteen. _He must be a transfer student or something. But Hogwarts hasn't had a transfer in centuries!_ Severus thought, still staring at the student. Snapping out of his musings, he cleared his throat. Suddenly, he didn't seem so brave anymore.

"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Severus asked nervously. Those eyes were really starting to creep him out. The person sent him a small smile, clearly amused. He nodded, standing up to open the storage compartment. At first it wouldn't open, so the mysterious new student growled and hit it sharply. It opened with a small 'pop'. He smirked at it smugly. Severus slowly levitated his trunk into the compartment next to a large, black one which he assumed to belong to the new student. He also noticed a wicker basket next to the other trunk. _Must be his familiar. Hmm, a cat? Well, he doesn't really seem like the type of person to carry a toad around in their back pocket._

They both sat down on opposite sides of the compartment, staring at each other curiously. Severus decided to introduced himself first. "I'm Severus Snape. Not to be rude, but I don't think I've seen you in Hogwarts before. Are you new?" The stranger gave a small laugh.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I_ am _a new student. I was home-schooled by my Aunt since I was eleven. She didn't want me to go to school because of... personal reasons. I'll be sorted into Sixth Year." He explained, his eyes somewhat guarded when he said 'personal reasons'. Severus could tell that the teenager had secrets. He also noticed that he didn't mention his parents, but Severus could tell it was a sensitive subject. He didn't know _how_ he knew, but he did so he didn't question it.

"What's your name?" Suddenly, the teen looked hesitant and Severus looked at him curiously. With a small jolt, the Hogwarts Express started to leave the station. Severus looked out the window to watch the last of the students, mostly Seventh Years, throw themselves into the closing doors. He inwardly laughed as one of them tried to grab the railing, missed, and landed on his arse. Looking back at the new Sixth Year, Severus noticed that most of the uncertainty had left his face. The student smiled warmly.

"Darien Storm." He said, holding out a slender hand. As Severus took it he thought, _Maybe this year won't be so bad after all._

He had no idea how wrong he was.

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**A/N: **So, what do you think? Next Chapter: A Meeting With The Marauders. Pretty straight-forward. Reviews would be appreciated and Flames will be tolerated to a certain extent. To those of you who are reading Save Me, I am not abandoning it! I'll keep updating it, slowly but surely. I have a basic outline for this story and it will have one or maybe two sequels. We'll see how it goes. Until next time.


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